Learning+in+two+or+more+languages

Can students learn in a language they do not understand?

The idea that students cannot learn in a language they do not understand arose from the belief that knowledge was stored in different parts of the brain and was non-transferable. 1

It has now been found that students who are relatively fluent in two or more languages have a learning advantage over monolinguals because they can use their understanding from their first language to add to what they are learning in their second language. 2

Instead of seeing it as each language stored in separate parts of the brain, Cummins 2 and others see it as two icebergs on the surface which are in fact joined below the ice as one central operating system (See diagram below). This means that the bilingual uses what they already know in their first language to understand the new idea and all they need are the right words to express it in their second language. As they are approaching the idea with the background of two languages and all the associated understandings that come from that they are building a rich understanding of that idea.This advantage is best seen when students are skilled at using both languages but either way the students who are bilingual do benefit. This approach of embracing the advantages the student already has in their first language rather than submerging that language to allow the second to develop would certainly have been easier to manage for[| Sujata Bhatt].

As Cummins argues, you can learn in more than one language at the same time. So the implications for teaching in the New Zealand context is that students who are bringing their own language and background cultural experience to the table need to be encouraged to draw on the resources they already have in that language in addition to the learning we are doing in the classroom to come to a full understanding of the concepts we are dealing with.

1. Baker, C (2006) Cognitive theories of bilingualism and the curriculum. In //Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism// (pp. 166 - 186) 4th edition). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters. 2. Cummins, J. (2001) //Negotiating Identities: Education for Empowerment in a Diverse Society (Second Edition)//. Los Angeles, CA : California Association for Bilingual Education